Research

By Michelle Osmond

Dr. Bruno Stuyvers’ goal is to save thousands of Canadians
who suffer a heart attack; many of those in Newfoundland and
Labrador where the rate of heart attacks is the highest in the
country. Dr. Stuyvers is one of many Memorial researchers
benefiting from the latest round of Canadian Foundation for
Innovation (CFI) awards.

Understanding heart attacks, wireless communications and cold
ocean ecology are just a few of the research areas getting a boost
at Memorial. The CFI recently approved $1,126,608 to support 11
Memorial infrastructure projects under its Leaders Opportunity Fund
(LOF) and Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF).

According to Dr. Stuyvers, cardiovascular diseases accounted for
about 75,000 deaths in Canada in 2002 with 54 per cent due to
myocardial infarctions. Dr. Stuyvers, who is an associate professor
in the Faculty of Medicine, plans to use his portion to try and
understand the development of lethal arrhythmias associated with
heart attacks. “People going through a severe heart attack,
or myocardial infarction, show a high risk for a lethal type of
arrhythmias called Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardias or PVTs.
Because the PVTs, frequently lead to ventricular fibrillation, a
stage where the heart is unable to pump the blood anymore, these
arrhythmias are the primary cause of death during or shortly after
heart attacks,” explained Dr. Stuyvers.

By understanding the reasons that cause the PVTs Dr. Stuyvers
and his team hope to help in the design of specific anti-arrhythmic
drugs and new emergency procedures. “The ultimate goal of
this research is to provide tools that would stop instantaneously
the development of the arrhythmia before ventricular fibrillation
appears during the heart attack and protect the patient against
potential recurrent PVTs during the days following the heart
attack.”

“Investing in cutting-edge labs, equipment, and technology
has transformed Canada’s research landscape over the past
decade,” said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, president and CEO of the
CFI. “The CFI keeps pace with this transformation to ensure
Canadian research institutions and their researchers remain world
class.” CFI is making a $45-million investment under its LOF
to 44 universities across the country, a program that was designed
to provide infrastructure to attract researchers to Canadian
institutions at a time of intense international competition for
knowledge workers.